Wild Fires: Are They Beneficial to the Enviornment

Essay by miller08 October 2008

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Controlled burns help prevent wildfires in the west.

Controlled burning is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, or prairie restoration. Controlled burns are set purposely by special trained firefighters to keep wildfires in control. There are three different classes of wildfires. A "surface fire" is the most common type and burns along the floor of a forest, moving slowly and killing or damaging trees. A "ground fire" is usually started by lightning and burns on or below the forest floor in the human layer down to the mineral soil. "Crown fires" spread rapidly by wind and move quickly by jumping along the tops of trees. Due to the fact that the west has been in a drought, there should be more controlled burns in the west. Controlled burning is a technique used by foresters and farmers to keep land from being overwhelmed with overgrowth. Controlled burning gets rid of the overgrowth and also renews the land in a way.

The weather conditions of a controlled burn are very important because the wind needs to blow in the correct direction. The wind must blow in the direction that the special experts want it to. If the wind blows in another direction, the controlled burn could get out of control. Also, land in the west was dry which is because of drought.

The drought causes the dangerous conditions due to the overgrowth in the west. There are too many trees in the forests. For every tree harvested, seven are planted which is not a bad thing but if the land is not being not being cared for properly then this is a problem. Another problem in the west is that people in west are building homes where they shouldn't. Drought has become a very big deal in west. During the...